”I am a dancer by profession and it is still my day job, but I have also been working with video since I was a small boy. I have often combined dance and visual narration as video projections in my dance works, and I have been asked many times why I don’t make a dance film. My answer has always been that I haven’t come up with a concept that called for that particular genre. An idea eventually arrived and finally I had the reason to do it. I very much hope that you will support the realisation of this project and be one of the first people to see where it takes us.”
– Jouka Valkama

What is the film going to be like?

SEE | OBEY consists of three independent narratives which run side-by-side as they portray human emotions, everyday events and conflicts through physical expression and movement. The stories are at once concrete and abstract, so a combination of dance and moving pictures is essential to give them full expression.

The passage of time in the stories is manipulated through cinematic methods, and moments that are gone in the blink of an eye find new depths when they are viewed in slow motion. This atmosphere can only be produced in a dance film and cannot be recreated on the stage.

The director of the film Jouka Valkama and choreographer Susanna Leinonen have combined in Leinonen’s previous works to create an imaginative visual vocabulary which awakens powerful associations. The videos that they have made together have acted as the inspiration for the creation of this independent dance film.

Where can the film be seen?

SEE | OBEY dance film will receive its first premiere on 14 November 2015 in Stoa the Cultural Centre of Eastern Helsinki. It will run until 22 November.

Sat 14.11. at 7pm
Sun 15.11. at 3pm
Tues 17.11. at 7pm
Thurs 19.11. at 7pm
Fri 20.11. at 7pm
Sat 21.11. at 7pm
Sun 22.11. at 3pm

In Stoa the films will be projected onto two screens, with the stories moving from one screen to the other. There will also be another version of SEE | OBEY which has been modified for a single screen, and this will later tour dance film festivals at home and abroad. By funding this film you can also be among the first ones to see it from your own home.

What do we need funding for?

Two parts of the film were shot in June and the final and largest piece will be shot in August. The team will have an admirable amount of partners and volunteers, but still a lot of professionals from different fields are required, everything can’t be done by volunteers . Another big expense is the costumes: the large number of performers and the different decades portrayed by the costumes mean that the costs for filming in August will be high.

The film is produced and mainly funded by Susanna Leinonen Company, but additional funding is still needed to finish the film. This is where we need your help. We will use the funds collected by this campaign for wages, costs of costumes and props, equipment rents and postproduction.

“Susanna Leinonen is a master of creating a powerful and very unique expression through her movement language. Her compactly packaged, sensual and physical movement language also demands a lot from her dancers. A lot of thought is invested in the costumes and lightning design which gives the visual world a highly polished touch, and the original choice of music only adds to the aesthetic pleasure.”
– Finland Award

We are requesting your help to fund our project and spread the word to other potential funders. Your support is deeply appreciated!